Machine for making suckers



March 12, 1940. b v s ET AL I 2,192,897

MACHINE FOR MAKING SUCKERS Filed Mafch 12, 1937 v s sheets-sheet 1 I-Z av enhm 'a/m 59am.

V @cm WW ATTORNEY.

Mar ch 12, 1940. H. E. DAVIS ET AL MACHINE FOR MAKING SUCKERS 3Sheets-Shee t 2 Filed March 12, 1937 Urn/enter,

March 12, 1940. H, g,- DAVI ET AL 2,192,897

MACHINE FOR MAKING SUCKERS Filed March 12, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet I5Fig.1].

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Patented Mar. 12, 1940 areas orgies MACHINE FOR MAKING SUCKERS Harry E.Davis, Akron, and Oscar Werner,

Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio; The St. Joseph Loan. & Trust (30., executor ofOscar Werner, deceased Application March 12, 1937, Serial No. 130,602

22 Claims.

This invention relates to confection machines and more particularly to amachine for automatically producing confections of the sucker or.lollipop type.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a novelautomatic sucker machine which is especially adaptable for securing aflexible handle or stick to. a confection thereby producing a suckerhaving highly desirable safety to features. a i a Another object of theinvention is to provide, in a .machine of the above character, a novelarrangement employing a cutting mechanism, for successively cutting froma candy roll small pieces l5 of the semi-plastic confection, thearrangement being so constitutedthat the pieces are th reafter conveyedto a molding apparatus.

Another object is to provide a novel means for securing a flexiblehandleto thesemi-plastic con- 30 fection which will avoid the necessityof forming a handle receiving recess in a preformed candy piece.

Still another object is to provide an arrangement in a machine of thecharacter referred to,

:5 whereby the flexible handleis rigidly supported during a portion ofthe step of molding the confection, thus enabling the confection to befirmly pressed into contact with the handle.

A further object is to provide, in an automatic sucker machines. noveldie mechanism so constituted as to not only rapidly and eificientlyinrpart the desired shape to the confection piece while forming thepiece around the flexible handle, but also to positively eject thecompleted 5 article from the machine.

A still further object is to associate with the confection machine acontinuous source of supply of flexible handle stock and to provide anovel guiding structure for the stock, as well as a novel constructionfor cutting the stock into handle lengths for connection with the candy.

A further object is to perform the above and other operations in anautomatic and coordinated manner to the end that the complete formation3, of safety suckers will be carried out without any attention on thepart of the operator other than that required to assure a supply ofcandy and handle stock. I l i Other objects and novel features of theinvention will appear more fullyhereinafter from the following detaileddescription when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings,illustrating certain preferred embodiments of the invention. It is to beexpressly understood, howi. ever, that the drawings are employed forpurposes of illustration only and are not to be taken as a definition ofthe limits of theinventicn, reference being had for this purpose to theappended claims.

In the drawings, wherein similar reference 5 characters refer to similarparts throughout the several views:

Fig. 1 is a top view of an automatic sucker machine constructed inaccordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1; I I

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on lines 3-3 v of Fig. l; i

Fig. 4 is a detail of the confection cutting knife;

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the operation of the knifeshown in Fig. 4;

Fig. .6 is'a top view, partly in section, of the sticl; handlingmechanism;

Fig. 7 is a side view of the mechanism of Fig. 6; 20,

Fig. 8 is a vertical section on lines 8-8 of i Fig. 6-; 1

Fig; 9 is an end View of the stick or handle guide shown in Figs. 6, 7and 8;

Fig. 10 is a detail of the transfer slide;

Fig. 11 is a partial view of the candy feed rolls showing one shape ofthe candy roll produced thereby; I

Fig. 12 is a. partial view similar to Fig. 11 but showing an alternateshape of candy roll which may be utilized;

Fig. 13 is a sectional View of one of the die plungers;

Fig. 14 illustrates a modified form of stick feeding mechanism; 5:

Fig. 15 shows a partial end view of the mechanism of Fig. 14; I

Figs. 16 and 17 illustrate another form of stick feeding mechanism, and

. Fig. 18 is a partial side view of the sucker forming cylinder.

In general, an, automatic sucker forming machine constructed inaccordance with the principles of thepresent invention includes a pairof feed rolls for feeding the semi-plastic candy materialinto themachine, a knife for cutting off the candy material into piecesof thedesired size,

a transfer mechanism adapted to receive the cut 01f portion of the candyand transfer the sameto a position in line with the cylinder withinwhich the sucker is formed. die plungers for transferring the candy fromthe transfer mechanism to the forming cylinder, means for cutting aflexible handle stock to the desired length,

means for associating the handle length with the candy, means forforming the candy on the handle to produce the finished sucker, andmeans for delivering the latter from the machir' e.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 1 base i mounted on standards 2supports at its lower side, as by means of suitable bearings, a main camshaft 3 and an auxiliary cam shaft 4. The cam shaft 4 is positioned atright angles to cam shaft 3 and is driven therefrom by gears 5. Shaft 3carries at its other end a flywheel pulley 6 adapted to be belted to aline shaft or electric motor, not shown.

The candy material, for the manufacture of suckers, is fed into themachine in theshape of a conventional heavy roll through a trough 'l,and enters feed and sizing rolls 8 and 9 which impart to the materialthe alternate shapes shown in Figs. 11 and 12. These si ing rolls arecontinuously driven by the pulley B through gears H! and H, andsprockets l2 and is connected by chain M. The rolls may be corrugated,provided with projecting pins, or constructed in any suitable manner toprevent slipping of the candy material during feeding thereof.

After the candy material has been sized by rolls 8 and 9, it isnecessary to cut the material into appropriate small pieces forsubsequent treatment. Means are, therefore, provided for cutting thecandy into small pieces as it leaves the sizing rolls and enters atrough i5, and in the form shown, such means are constituted by a knifeis which not only performs the cutting feature referred to but alsopositively moves each piece successively to a transfer mechanism 33, tobe referred to later in detail. As shown, Figs. 3 and 4, candy knife I 6is mounted on a carrier if, the upper portion of which closely fits theouter side walls of trough l5, thereby keeping the knife in properalignment. The lower end of carrier I! is pivotally connected to a camlever 18 adapted to be oscillated by a cam I!) mounted on shaft 3. Camlever i8 is supported by a suitable bracket 2! carried by base I and isprovided with a roller 20, maintained in contact with the contour of caml9 by a spring 22, anchored to a rod 23 projecting from standard 2. Itwill be understood from this construction that cam I8 and cam followerIB serve to impart a vertical motion to carrier I! and the knife l6secured thereto. In

order to effect a horizontal movement of the knife It for the purpose ofpositively moving each candy piece, the upper end 24 of knife carrier Ifis connected by links 25 to the vertical arm of a cam follower 26mounted on a shaft 2?. The horizintal arm of the cam follower 26 isprovided at its outer end with a roller 28 held against the contour of acam 29, fixed to shaft 3, by lever 36 mounted on theouter end of shaft21, see Fig. 1, the lever 36 being maintained in the position shown by atension spring 3!, anchored at its lower end to a rod, not shown,projecting from standard 2. It will thus be observed from the foregoingthat cam 29 and cam follower 26 serve to impart a horizontal motion tothe upper end of carrier l7. Cams I9 and 29 are so co-ordinated that thecombined vertical and horizontal motion imparted to the upper end ofcarrier l'l causes the cutting edge of knife E6 to follow a path. a, b,c, d, e, as shown in Fig. 5.

Referring to Fig. 5, the cutting edge of the knife, starting fromposition a, in which it is shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, moves upwardly ata slight angle to follow the face of transfer mechanism 33, therebystripping off the cut-off piece of candy against the upper inner surfaceof the and 2, 2'.

transfer mechanism, this action continuing until .the knife has lostcontact with the candy. The

lower. knife edge then travels to the right from b to cf more or lessvertically down to d where it contacts the candy that has been fed in byrolls 8 and 9, and then down to e at a vertical incline. Portion d-e isthe cutting stroke of the knife which is inclined at such an angle thatthe horizontal distance travelled in the course of the cutting strokeequals the amount of candy travel during period d--e, due to the actionof rolls 8 and 9 which are continuously moving the candy roll forwardly.The knife then travels at a rapid rate from c to a moving the cut-offportion of the candy into transfer mechanism 33, which latter has beencleared in the meantime of the previously cut-off piece of candy.Transfer mechanism 33 being open at both ends, a stationary stop 34,Figs. 1 and 3, is provided to limit the travel of the candy piece withinthe transfer mechanism.

After the transfer mechanism has received a cut-off portion of candy, itis moved forwardly in order to convey the candy to the formingmechanism. For this purpose, the transfer mechanism is mounted on aslide 35, the forward end of which is connected through a link 35 to acam lever 37, the latter being oscillated by a cam 38 mounted on theauxiliary cam shaft 4. A cam roller 39, carried by the lever 31, is heldin contact with the cam contour by a tension spring 4!], the lower endof which is anchored to rod 4i supported by standards 2. Brackets 42 areprovided for guiding the slide 35 during its movement back and forthrelative to the base I. The above described parts are so constructedthat the slide 35 and transfer mechanism 33 are moved to a positionwhere the base of the transfer mechanism is aligned with cylinders 43and 44. As will appear hereinafter, the candy piece is here formed intothe finished article while the transfer mechanism returns to receiveanother cutoff candy piece, it being understood that the process is thusa continuous one.

Referring to Figs. 2, 6 and 10, after the transfer mechanism 33 hasmoved to its forward position, a die plunger 45, housed within cylinder43, is moved to the right, as viewed in Fig. 2, in order to move thecandy piece from the transfer mechanism a predetermined distance intothe cylinder 44, see Fig. 6. For a certain interval of time, the candypiece is maintained in such position where the complete sucker isformed. During said interval, the transfer mechanism returns to itsoriginal position. To permit this latter, the transfer mechanism isprovided with a slot 330. in its front wall for receiving the reducedportion 46 of the plunger 45. Since the slot is slightly larger than theportion 48, it will beunderstood that the mechanism 33 may be returnedto its original position notwithstanding the fact that the plunger 45 ismomentarily stationary. A flipper 55 may be provided to close the slotin the transfer mechanism sufliciently so that the cutoff portion ofcandy material within 33 cannot project into the slot when the transfermechanism is moved forwardly. This flipper may be hinged on a pin 56mounted on an arm projectng from the transfer mechanism and may be heldnormally in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 10 by a torsionspring, not shown. As the transfer mechanism returns to its originalposition, the flipper will ride over the reduced section 46 of plunger45, as shown in dotted lines in this figure. A notch 51 is provided toclear stop 34 inder 44 is likewise similar. to the bore of cylinder i 45coordinately with the movement of the trans 2,182,897 r which, as;heretofore stated, may. extend certain.

distance intothe transfer mechanism, see also Fig. 3. Preferably, thebore of the transfer-mechanismis chamfered; as at 33b, to allow easierentry of thecandy forming end of die plunger 45.

A shelf 58, having a lower step 59, isattaohed to the forward portion.of the slide to receive and ejectthe finished sucker in amannerldescribed hereinafter.

Plunger has an enlarged forming or die head which may be of any suitablecross section, depending upon the desired shape of the sucker to beformed, and said head is provided with a concaved end 48, of optionalshape, see Fig. 13'. The main portion of the plunger, however, ispreferably round and of standard shape, regardless of the shape ofheadill. The opposite, end of the plunger is provided. with a threadedportion 45. In order tcprovide an ejecting mechanism, the plunger may bebored to receive a rod 5! having at one end an enlarged head and at itsother end a shoulder 52 pinned to rod 5!. A compression spring 53normally holds parts 59, 5! and 52 in the position shown in Fig. 13wherein the face of 5% is approximately flush with the concave surfaceB8 of the plunger head. The main portion of cylinder 43 is bored to fitthe main portion 15 of the plunger and its. right end portion iscounterbcred to closely fit the shape of the plunger head 4?.

.-A die plunger fill, housed in cylinderM, is similar in constructiontoplunger 65, except that it has no reduced portion, the plunger Ellibeing adapted to cooperate with the plunger to form 7? the completedsucker.

6D is provided with a sucker forming head 53a As shown, the plungercomplementary to the head at of plunger 45, and is moreover providedwith a similar ejecting mechanism includingrod 52a. The bore of cyl- 43except that the position of the enlarged counterbore fitting the head ofplunger 63 is reversed. The bore of the transfer mechanism 33, Fig. 10,is identical witlrthecounterboreof the enlarged portions of cylinders 43and 44, whatever the shape of the latter may be, and closely fits head4'! of plunger 45 when the. transfer mechanism is'in its forwardposition.

Means areprovided for shifting the die plunger fer mechanism 33 inorderto move the candy piece carried by the latter into the cylinder Mfor formation of the sucker. As shown, the plunger 85 has adiustablymounted on its thread t ed stem 49, by means of nuts 6!, a block 62, the

recessed sides of which are engaged by rollers 63 rotatably mounted onpins 64, projecting inwardly from arms til of a cam lever 66, said camlever being rotatably mounted on a pin 5? sup- 3 ported by arms 63carried by the base I. Cam

lever F555 is adapted to be oscillated by a cam fcllower 69, the innerend of which contacts, by means of a roller, a cam Ill carried by themain shaft 3. It will be understood that, during operation ofthe machineand rotation of main shaft 3, the movement of cam ill will displace thecam follower 69 to effect movement of the die plunger 45.

Similarly, plunger is adapted to be moved within cylinder 4:3 by a camlever 55 and cam followerfifi', the latter being displaced by suitablecam, not shown, also driven by shaft 3. Cam followers ii) and 53' areheld in contact with their respective cams by tension springs iii, oneend of each being fastened to the respective cam levers while theopposite ends are connected but. at a slower rate.

actuating cams therefor.

. of handle material.

compression spring 73. being interposed between its inner face and acollar 14 abutting. a shoulder on plunger 60, where itssmaller threadedportion joins its main portion. Spring i3 is pressed by screwing up.nuts Si.

After the transfer mechanism 33 has moved forwardly and hasbecomealignedwith cylinders 43 and M, as heretofore pointedout, the plungertllmoves rapidly'to the right, as viewed in'Figs. l and 2, while plunger45 also moves to the right, As plunger 68 approaches the end of itsoutward stroke, as indicated in Fig. 6, a stick or handle guard 800iguard carrier ti moves rapidly into the bore of cylinder M through aslot Ma therein, see Fig; 18, and coincident therewith a predetermined.length of flexible handle material 82 is. fed in, so that both thehandle guard"and the before plunger 45. reaches its extreme right-l1andposition. Plunger 45, moving the cut-off piece of candy material forcedout of the transfer mechanism, will then force the candy around thehandle and guard supporting the same, and will finally come to rest withhead 4? in the position shown in Fig. 6. The handle guard is thenWithdrawn, the handle adhering to the candy piece, and, immediatelythereafter, the plunger Gills moved inwardly until the face of itsreaches. the dotted line position til, it being understood that, duringsuch movement, plunger i5= remains stationary.

v From the foregoing, it will be perceived that the candy will thus becompressed firmly around the end of the handle and. will be properlymolded, its periphery being determined by the of the cylinderbore andits sides being determined by the contour of the recesses formed in theheads of plungers 45 and 5t. Should there be present an excess amount ofcandy material, then this willbe compensatedfor by compression of spring13. Thus, the movement of plunger M will be correspondingly shorter, andthe sucker will be correspondingly thicker. The relatively heavy initialpressure in spring l3. insures. sufiicient forming pressure under allnormal conditions.

3.: throughrodll. A block:BZ'isyieIdinglymounted on the threaded portionof plunger (it, a heavy handle are in position initially com- Followingthe withdrawal of handle guard 59 l and while plunger is moving to thecompress the candy, at side plate 83,

left to which has confined the handle in 'a recess in carrier 3!- inthemanner described previously. After a prcdetermined dwell to allow thecandy to assume its final shape under pressure exerted by the dieplungers 45 and Gil, bothplungers will move to the left, plunger 45moving more rapidly, however, than plunger (ill, due to the contourofthe It will he understood that, before a concurrent movement of the dieplunge'rs takes place, the knife will have operated to sever the handleattached to the candy,

in the manner above described, from the supply Thus, as the die plungersmove, the completed sucker will move therewith.

As plunger 35 approaches its left position, collar 52 of shaft 55 willcontact stop supported by studs ilii projecting from brackets oncylinder t3 and secured to studs by nuts 87. Collar 52, shaft 5! andplunger tit will then be held stationary, while plunger 45 continues totravel to the left, until the face 59 of shaft 5I is flush with the faceof 41. Thus, if the formed sucker has a tendency to adhere within thedie cavity 48, it will be forcibly dislodged by the displacement ofshaft SI with relation to M. A similar action of ejecting the completedsucker from the head of plunger 65B is obtained by a small rocker arm 88carried on a forked extension 89 of block 62', see Fig. 2. As plungerEli approaches itse extreme left position, rocker 88,

carried by the block 62, will contact, at its lower K end, a rod 90projecting from bracket SI of cylinder M, and will be rocked thereby,thus displacing ejecting rod 52a within plunger to until the headthereof is flush with the head of plunger Eli. The rod 90 projectingfrom bracket 9i may be adjusted as by screwing rod til in or out andlocking it in adjusted position with nut 92.

After the ejecting action has been completed and the die plungers havereturned to their normal position, wherein their respective faces arealigned with the inner faces of cylinders at and 46, the completedsucker, moved into the open gap between cylinders 13 and 44, will dropby gravity onto the shelf 58 of the transfer mechanism 33, see Fig.succeeding forward motion of the transfer mechanism, the sucker willthen be tossed forwardly and will drop upon shelf Ell, whence it will bepunshed forwardly into a discharge chute I95 by the succeeding suckersuntil it drops off the end of the chute into a convenient receptacle.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 6, 7, 3 and 9, the mechanism forpositioning the flexible handlewithin cylinder it for association withthe candy piece is housed in a block we bolted to the upper surface ofbase I. Handle guard carrier SI is slidably mounted therein, andretained in position by a cover IIII. The handle guard 8t, projectingfrom the carrier ti, is

formed by a half section of an exteriorly tapered tube and when in placeprevents bending of that portion of handle 82 which projects intocylinder 44 while the candy material is being forced around it byplunger 615. The handle in its forward travel is confined by handleguard carrier SI, by sideplate 83, and by cover II'II, theircombinations forming a channel preventing the bending of handle 82 as itis being fed in. The slide 83 is operated by an arm I82, mounted onshaft W3, the end of said arm engaging an opening in slide 83, so thatrotation of the shaft to the right will lower the slide. Also mounted onshaft It? is a knife carrier I06, to which is secured the handle cut-offknife 83, adapted to cut off the handle as it emerges from a guide use.The knife is preferably held against the forward smooth face of guideHi5 as by a compression spring Hi6 which constantly urges the knifeagainst the guide. A smooth and sharp cut-off is thus assured.

In order to actuate the shaft IE3, the same is provided at its outer endwith a lever Illl, adapted to be oscillated by a link Hi8 and a camlever its, see Fig. 2. The cam lever I09 is rotatably mounted on a studIll) projecting from base I,

and has atits lower end a roller I I I, operatively engaged with asuitably shaped barrel cam M2 on shaft l. It will be understood fromFigs. '7 and 8 that movement of the shaft IE3 in a counterclockwisedirection will move the knife M to the position shown and will close thegate 83, thus confining the handle material as the latter is being fedinwardly to the cylinder l l. On the other hand, after plunger 45 movesthe candy,

10. During the next piece into the cylinder M, movement of the shaft I03in a clockwise direction will open the gate 83' while moving the knifeto such a position as to sever the sucker handle from the handle stock.

Preferably, the withdrawal of the handle guard Bil and carrier 81 takesplace while knife 84 is maintained in its cutting position whicheffectively locks the handle endwise during retraction of the handleguard.

For the purpose of reciprocating the handle guard carrier SI, there isprovided a cam lever IE5 mounted on a pin H6 held by brackets IIl'projectingfrom'base I, see Fig. 2. The said cam lever carries at itslower end a cam roller H8, held in contact with cam [I9 on shaft 4'bythe action of tension spring I20, the lower end of which is anchored torod 4|.

The handle material is preferably supplied in the form of a reel and isfed into the machine by conventional pinch rolls I22, which areintermittently rotated by gears I23, ratchet carrier I24, link I25 andcrank I26, the latter being mounted at the outer end of shaft 4, whileparts we, I23 and I24 are supported by bracket I21, bolted to the top ofbase I.

It will be understood that, to prevent overheating of the candy formingmechanism during continuous operation, and particularly of cylinder M,an electric fan, or blower, not shown, may be so mounted that its airstream is directed on the part to be cooled and also on delivery trays5d and 59 as well as discharge chute 95, in order to accelerate thesetting and hardening of the completed suckers. Such cooling device maybe started manually, when in the judgment of the operator, the properworking temperature has been reached, or may be controlled automaticallyby a. thermostatic switch. Parts for which a higher working temperaturemay be found desirable, such as candy feed rolls 8 and ii, may beshielded from the air blast by suitable baffle plates or covers.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 16 and 17, a modified form ofhandle guard and carrier device is disclosed therein as including ahandle guard which is adapted to completely enclose the extensions I3and I which cooperate, in the position shown, to form a completelyclosed tube for supporting the handle. It will be understood that, inutilizing such an arrangement, after the candy piece has been forcedaround the members I3 and I35 by operation of plunger #5, the carrierI30 including member I3I will be withdrawn from the cylinder 44, afterwhich the operation of plunger 6!! will firmly affix the candy piece tothe handle end to complete the sucker.

Following the withdrawal of the handle guard above referred to, themember IZ'lI is tilted about shaft I32, as indicated in dotted lines inFig. 6, to permit the completed sucker to travel laterally as in Fig. 6.Any suitable mechanism may be provided for effecting the tiltingmovement of member IZiI in timed relation to the removal of 2,192,897member [02, see Fig. 8; the projecting arm of which is adapted to engagea lip provided. on member. I31.

A further embodiment of the handle mechanismiis disclosed in Figs. 14-and 15, and, inthis form,.the construction is: suchthat the handle isinserted in a preformed opening made in the maintained in the positionshown as by. means of 3 a compression spring M4. Aligned with theplunger. Mt. is-a projector. M'EIWhlChQmEtB T be reciprocatedeby a rodorcam lever, not shown, secured; to the outer end of the. projector andoperated from the. shaft 3;. The. forward end of the projector is formedas an extension Ml of approximately thesame diameter asthehandleamaterial. Asshown, thehandle material is introduced. throughbore. MB inv block Hit, the saidybore being in line with a channelformed by the lower recess of block I44 and. the notched upper leftcorner of the slide M2, see'Fig. 15. A cutroff, knife 149 is mounted; onthe front face of the stationary block Hill and in. intimate contactwith, the; polished rear faces of; block it! and slidelfl'l:

In theoperationof theabove describedstruce ture, the projector Mfiiismoved inwardly, thus moving; plunger N33 to the left, as viewedin Fig.

14, to cause head I45 to form asuitable opening or-holeinthe. candypiece. This action in. preforming the hole for, subsequent receptionofthe handle may'take place previously, to during or immediately followingthe shaping of they candy piece within cylinder Mby the action ofplungers 45 and 80. Following the formation of, thehole in-the candypiece, the plunger so is preferably retracteda slight distance in ordento relieve the pressure on, the candy, and coincidentally, the partsl43-anol I46are returnedto the position shown. In the meantime; a lengthof handle material 8-2rhas been fed inby the feed-rolls; so thatythezendof the handle is] approximately flush with theleft-hand'faces. ofmembers Mi and M22, as viewed in Fig. 14. Members lei-and M! are nowmoved upwardly in unison, this action effecting a cutting of. the handlematerial by reason of the stationary knife. I49.

When members MI and i reach the position where the handle becomesaligned withthe. center line of cylinder 44, further. upward movementceases and the projector M6 will move the handle into .thehole in thecandy piece, the projector being withdrawn immediately after it haseifected the necessary movement of the handle. The plungen-fillwillthereafter complete the formation of the sucker and will move the latterout of the cylinder. 44, following a slight downward movement. ofthe'slide I42 for freeing the handle. 82.

Though the invention hereinbefore describedis particularly adaptable formanufacturing suckers. from: flexible handle material furnished in reelform, itisto-wbe understood that the machine is equally adaptable foruse withhandles of precut length. In. such case, it:would be :only.necessary. to. replace.;the pinch rolls: l 22; a .magazinesfor a rigidsupport for the holding thehandles together with a suitable plungerforinserting the handles into the feeding mechanism 8:l or Ml;Such-magazine and plunger may be of conventional form and mountedupon'the base Hill;

There'hasthusbeen provided by the present invention anovel meansandmethodfor manufacturing suckers which is especially adapted tothatclass of suckers known as the safety type which embodyiiexiblehandles. One of the important features of the invention resides in theprovision of the handleguard, and it will be appreciated that such anarrangement provides flexible handle, thus enabling efficient molding ofthe candy piece around handles of a'flexible nature.- Theknife employedinthe present invention for cutting off successive candy pieces not onlyperforms such cutting action is necessary,

butalso functions to convey the candy to thetransfer mechanism and topositivelystrip the same thereinto, thereby great= ly simplifying the"step of conveying the candy to the forming dies. 'Iheconstruction andmanner of operation of the die plungers, it will be appreciated,contributes. largely to the rapid and continuous operationof themachine, in permitting the return of the transfer mechanism forreception of a subsequent candy piece while proceedingwith'thecompletion ofa sucker. A further highly desirable feature resides inthecompletion and positive ejectment of the sucker in such timed relationwith the movement of the transfer mechanism that the finished article ismoved from the machine when .the transfer mechanism returns'with anothercandy piece.

Theprovision of the continuouslength of flexible handle m'aterialand themethod and apparatus for feeding the material and for. cutting offsuccessive handlelengths avoids the necessity of having a. magazine of.precut handles, thereby simplifying the process to a markeddegree.

While several embodimentsof the invention,

have been shown and-described herein with a certain. degree ofparticularity, it is to be understood. that'various changes may be madewithout departing from the spirit'of the invention. For example,ifdesired, the relative timing of the motions'of thecandy out-off knifeand the trans fer mechanism may be so altered that, as soon as the knifehas moved'the candy piece'into the transfer mechanism, the latter movesforwardly, thereby stripping the candy from the knife'by a lateralmotion .insteadof a vertical motion as previously described.Furthermore, if desired, the handle guard, for shielding. or supportingthe handle in' 6; may be rotatedii80 from. its position shownin thisfigure in order to shield the handle fromtthe pressure of the candyproduced by the die plunger, instead of. supporting the handle againstsuch pressure; Various other changes in the shape, size, arrangement ofthe component. parts and:v timing of the. operations thereof mayberesorted: to, as well understood by those skilled in theart. ReferenceWill, therefore, be'had. to theclaims appended hereto for a definitionofthe limits of the inventionmeans fonmolding saidcandy pieceuponthe endof: a..handle,. and means for mo-ving said trans- 75:

fer mechanism to convey said candy piece to the molding means.

2. In a sucker machine having means for forming a semi-plastic candyroll and for feeding said roll at a predetermined rate of speed, atransfer mechanism, a candy cutting device, means for operating saiddevice to cut off a candy piece from the moving candy roll, means foroperating said device to positively move the latter and the candy pieceto the transfer mechanism at a rate of speed greater than the rate ofspeed of movement of the candy roll, means for molding said candy pieceupon the end of a handle, and means for moving said transfer mechanismto convey said candy piece to the molding means.

3. In a sucker machine having means for forming a semi-plastic candyroll and for feeding said roll at a predetermined rate of speed, atransfer mechanism, a candy cutting device, means for operating saiddevice to out 01f a candy piece from the moving candy roll, and meansfor operating said device to positively move the latter and the candypiece into the transfer mechanism at a rate of speed greater than therate of speed of movement of the candy roll, said first operating meansmoving said device against the transfer mechanism for stripping saidcandy piece from said device.

4. A sucker machine comprising means for forming and feeding asemi-plastic candy roll, a transfer mechanism, a single means forcutting a candy piece from said roll and for positively moving saidpiece into said transfer mechanism, means for molding said candy pieceupon the end of a handle, and a single means for moving said transfermechanism to convey said candy piece to the molding means and forreturning said mechanism to receive a succeeding cut-off candy, piece.

5. A sucker machine comprising a pair of rolls for forming and feeding asemi-plastic candy roll, a transfer mechanism, means for cutting andconveying a candy piece from said roll to said mechanism, a suckerforming and handle positioning apparatus, means for moving the transfermechanism adjacent said apparatus, means projectible through saidmechanism for moving the candy piece to the apparatus, and means forreturning said mechanism to receive a succeeding candy. piece.

6. A sucker machine comprising a pair of rolls for forming and feeding asemi-plastic candy roll, a transfer mechanism, means for cutting andconveying a candy piece from said roll to said mechanism, a suckerforming and handle positioning apparatus, means for moving the transfermechanism adjacent said apparatus, means projectible through saidmechanism for moving the candy piece to the apparatus, and'means forreturning said mechanism to receive a succeeding candy piece whilemaintaining said projectible means in its projected position.

'7. A sucker machine comprising a pair of rolls for forming and feedinga semi-plastic candy roll, means for cutting a candy piece from saidroll, a sucker forming and handle positioning apparatus, means forconveying said candy piece to a point adjacent said apparatus, and meansprojectible through said conveying means for forcing said candy piecetoward said apparatus.

8. In a machine for forming a sucker from a semi-plastic candy piece anda flexible handle, means for rigidly supporting one end of the flexiblehandle, means for pressing the semi-plastic candy piece against one sideof the supported handle end, means for withdrawing the supporting meansfrom said handle end, and means for pressing the semi-plastic candypiece against the opposite side of the handle end.

9. In a machine for forming a sucker from a force the same against oneside and partially.

around the supported handle end, means for Withdrawing the supportingmeans from the handle end, and means for exerting a pressure upon thesemi-plastic candy piece to force the same against the opposite side ofthe handle end while maintaining said first named means in itspredetermined pressure-applied position.

10. A sucker machine comprising candy handling means having a recess forreceiving a semiplastic candy piece preparatory to connecting the saidpiece to a flexible handle, means for bringing a flexible handlematerial adjacent said first means, means for supporting said materialthroughout its length, means for moving said candy handling means towardthe side of one end of said supported handle material to force saidcandy against and around said side, a second candy handling means havinga recess complementary to said first recess, means for removing saidsupporting means from the said end of the handle material, means formoving said second candy handling means against the opposite side ofsaid end of the handle material whereby the recesses of both said candyhandling means cooperate to form a sucker of the desired size and shapeand effect adherence between the sucker and handle material, and meansfor ejecting the sucker from the candy handling means.

11. In a confection machine for forming suckers, candy forming means,means for feeding a flexible handle material from a supply to said firstnamed means, means for operating said first named means to mold a candypiece about one end of said flexible handle material, a guard forrigidly supporting said end during a portion of the molding operation,said guard being removable from said end prior to completion of themolding operation, and means for severing the handle from said simplyand for locking the handle endwise during removal of said guard.

12. In a sucker machine, confection forming apparatus, a reel ofelongated flexible handle material, means for inserting the free end ofsaid handle material into said apparatus for connection with a candypiece therein, means for rigidly supporting at least one side of saidfree end during operation of the apparatus, and means for severing fromsaid handle material a handle of appropriate length including said end.

13. In a continuously operating sucker machine having means for formingand feeding a candy roll, means, for cutting off a candypiece from saidroll, means for forming a sucker from said candy piece and for attachingthe same-to a handle, transfer means for said candy piece, means formoving said transfer means and candy piece to said forming means todeliver the candy piece to the latter and for returning the transfermeans for a successive candy piece, and means for coordinating theoperation of the transfer means and forming means to cause an ejectmentof the completed sucker by the transfer means during movement of thelatter toward the forming means with the successive candy piece.

'14. In a sucker machine, confection forming form the completed sucker,and means associated positively ejecting the for urging said plungerstogether to mold the candy piece around said end of the handle to witheach plunger for sucker therefrom.

15. In amachine for forming a sucker from a semiplastic candy piece anda flexible handle, means for rigidly supporting one end of the flexiblehandle, die means for forming said candy piece around said supportedend, means for removing said supporting means, means for furtherpressing said candy piece around said handle end to complete the sucker,and means for ejecting the completed sucker from the die means.

16. In a confection machine for forming suckers, candy forming means,means for positioning a normally straight flexible handle adjacent saidfirst named means, means independent of said first named means forsupporting said handle; and means for operating said first named meansto mold a candy piece about one end of said flexible handle.

17. In a sucker machine for forming suckers from a semi-plasticconfection and handles, confection forming apparatus comprising aplurality of cooperating die plungers, means for feeding a semi-plasticcandy piece between said plungers, means for feeding one end of a handlebetween said plungers, and means for thereafter effecting relativemovement between said plungers to mold the candy piece around said endof the handle to form a completed sucker.

l8. In a sucker machine for forming suckers from a semi-plasticconfection and flexible han dles of the type which are sufficientlyrigid to support a candy piece in an upright position but suflicientlyflexible to bend under the application of a relatively slight endwisepressure, confection forming apparatus comprisinga pair of cooperatingdie plungers, means for feeding a semi-plastic candy piece between saidplungers, means for feeding one end of a handle between said plungers,and means for operating said plungers to thereafter mold said candypiece about the end of said handle.

19. In a sucker machine for forming suckers from semi-plastic candy andhandles, confection forming apparatus comprising a plurality ofcooperating die plungers, means for feeding a semiplastic candy piecebetween said plungers, a sepafirmly compress and mold said rate plungermovable between said first named plungers, means for operating saidfirst named plungers to move the candy piece against the enclof saidsecond named plunger, means for withdrawing said second named plunger,means for one end ofv a handle between said first named plungers andinserting said handle in the opening formed in the candy piece bywithdrawal of said second named plunger, and means for further'operatingthe first named plungers to mold the candy piece around the end of thehandle.

20. In a sucker machine for forming suckers from semi-plastic candy andflexible handles, confecticn forming apparatus comprising a plurality ofcooperating die plungers, means for feeding a semi-plastic candypiecebetween said plungers,

means for moving said plungers together to mold the candy piece, aseparate plunger movable into said candy piece-to form a hole therein,flexible hand.le feeding means, means to withdraw said separate plunger,means to operate said flexible handle feeding means to insert one end ofa flexible handle into the opening formed in the candy piece, and meansto operate said first plungers to candy piece about the end of saidflexible handle.

21. In a sucker machine for forming suckers from a semi-plastic candymaterial and flexible handles, confection forming apparatus comprising aplurality of cooperating relatively movable die members, means forfeeding a semi-plastic candy piece between said die members, means formoving a flexible handle along its major axis and for positioning thesame in such manner that one end thereof is located between said diemembers,

and means for thereafter moving at least one of said die members alongits axis to effect relative movement between said die membersand'to moldthe candy piece about the end of the flexible handle. d I

22. In a confection machne for forming suckers,

candy formng means comprisng a pair of cooperating axially aligned diemembers, means for positioning one end of a handle between said members,means for feeding a semi-plastic candy piece between said memberswhereby saidcandy piece may be molded about said handle end, and:

for thereafter efiectng relative movement between said members in adirection coincident with the aligned axes thereof for enablingdischarge of the completed sucker.

HARRY nbAvIs. OSCAR WERNER.

